Syracuse University football team would love to add some depth over the next two games

Syracuse, NY -- Doug Marrone knows his Syracuse University football team can ill afford to take its next two opponents lightly, even though they are Football Championship Subdivision teams.

"If we were a top team that had won consistently for a long period of time some, people refer to these games as trap games," Marrone said of Saturday’s 7:15 p.m. home opener vs. Maine and a date with Colgate the following week. "You take them for granted. We’re not even close to that stage."

That noted, Marrone would love the Orange to take care of business early and give him a chance to develop depth at critical positions.

"What we have to do is take the good young players we have who are starting on special teams and develop them to the point that they fit in our personnel groupings," Marrone said.

"What I thought would be there in the game, it wasn’t, because the players move so fast," Spruill said. "I just have to train my mind to know they move faster than we do in practice."

"Akron (the opener), I felt like I was a little timid sometimes," said Pugh, who played on the scout team last season. "It was my first game ever, and I didn’t really come off the ball like I wanted to. I think last week (at Washington) I just wanted to make sure I came off the ball and was aggressive, and I really accomplished that."

Chibane, who played on special teams last season as a true freshman, made a similar jump from week one to week two.

"He made great strides," Marrone said. "You can see that with a lot of the freshmen who came in to play."

Marrone believes he needs more of them if the team is going to be deep enough to tackle the Big East season next month.

"What we’re preparing for is that as the season goes on and we lose players (to injury), we have players to step up and keep our plan in place," he said.. "You might see other people on the field, but that isn’t an indication of someone not playing well, it is more about preparing this team as we go along in the season to become better."

Here are some candidates, by position, to see more time over the next few weeks:

Frank Ordoñez / The Post-StandardLook for true freshman Prince Tyson-Gulley to get some carries out of the backfield in addition to returning kicks for the Syracuse University football team.

Tailback. Gulley displayed a nice complement to the power style of senior Delone Carter and junior Antwon Bailey during preseason camp. He possesses explosive speed, as evidenced by his ability to nearly break kickoffs for scores in the first two games.

"Right now we have two backs, and Gulley is probably the more progressed of the younger backs," Marrone said. "In my mind it is very difficult to go through the schedule we have with just two running backs. If we do, that is great, and then we have people ready to go, but if we don’t I don’t want to sit here four or five weeks from now and limit ourselves because we have a player who doesn’t have a lot of experience."

Wide receiver. True freshman Adrian Flemming is back from a hamstring injury and will get a look, but chances are the staff will closely at juniors Dorian Graham, who switched to offense in camp, and Marcus Sales first. Graham is the fastest player on the team, and Sales caught 28 passes last season before falling from grace in camp. The feeling here each is going to get an opportunity over the next two games.

Tight end. True freshman Beckett Wales was mentioned often by Marrone in camp but has played sparingly. SU’s tight ends have been only average so far, and Wales will likely get a chance to prove himself.

Offensive line. True freshman center Macky MacPherson has played on special teams and is listed as the backup to starter Ryan Bartholomew. Many SU fans believe it is a mirage, that Chibane is actually the backup center. That is not the case. Marrone is also intrigued by the potential of true freshman tackle Sean Hickey.

"Those two guys are definitely going to make an impact somewhere down the line," Pugh said. "They’re real good and they’re real smart. They’ve really gotten a grasp of the offense and they know what’s going on."

Also on the radar is sophomore tackle Ian Allport, who has continued to improve since the start of camp.

Defensive line. True freshman tackle Jason Bromley took one snap in the opener and 10 last week at Washington. Look for him to play more, as the staff thinks he has star potential.

Linebacker. This is a tough one. True freshmen Malcolm Cater, Brice Hawkes and Lewellyn Coker are integral parts of the kickoff and punt coverage teams and could be the future at linebacker. It will be awfully hard for Marrone to spell senior stars Derrell Smith and Doug Hogue, though. Still, he must try to find a way. The next two games could provide that opportunity.

Secondary. Wilkes is the guy should anything happen to starters Mike Holmes or Da’Mon Merkerson at cornerback, but is he enough? Fellow true freshman corner Keon Lyn is recovered from mononucleosis and could also play his way into the mix.

The best-case scenario would be for many of these players to see expanded roles over the next two games. The Orange needs the depth. It also needs to win. It is a fine line.